Alternativa nyheter kring Ryssland-Ukraina kriget (samlingstråd)

Zelensky fired me over anti-graft reforms – ex-Ukrainian defense minister

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov has claimed he was dismissed because reforms to overhaul military procurement and tackle entrenched interests within the ministry triggered a backlash.

The Ukrainian outlet Strana, citing sources, previously suggested the government reshuffle may also have been intended to remove Fedorov, claiming Zelensky had grown dissatisfied with what it described as the minister’s “independent political game” and his ties to circles close to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has repeatedly faced procurement scandals under Zelensky. Previous ministers Aleksey Reznikov and Rustem Umerov were both removed after their tenures became embroiled in allegations related to military supplies and Western-funded weapons contracts.
https://www.rt.com/news/643682-ukraine-defense-minister-dismissal/

Mafia buying up some of 800,000 weapons missing from Ukraine – Italian prosecutors
Military drones and other advanced arms are reportedly flooding the European black market, officials have warned

The Italian mafia is seeking to buy up some of the 800,000 firearms reportedly missing or stolen from Ukraine since 2022, including drones and other advanced arms, senior prosecutors have warned.

Some 780,465 items sent to Ukraine have reportedly disappeared since the escalation of the conflict, including around 149,000 during the first five months of 2026. The Il Fatto Quotidiano newspaper reported on Wednesday that much of the arsenal consisted of European military supplies intended for Kiev.
https://www.rt.com/news/643660-italian-mafia-ukraine-weapons/

Assault regiment commander ordered troops to fire on retreating comrades, media investigation alleges
Oleh Shyriaiev, commander of Ukraine's 225th Assault Regiment, allegedly ordered troops to open fire on retreating fellow soldiers, according to an investigation by the Ukrainian investigative outlet Texty.

Ukrainian journalist Anna Kaliuzhna's investigation, published on July 30 in both text and video form, includes a voice message allegedly from Shyriaiev that was sent to one of the unit's chats while the regiment was fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast from late 2024 to early 2025.

"A reminder to those referring to 'our own' — there are no 'our own", the voice, allegedly belonging to Shyriaiev, says.

"There is only a specific request over the radio: ‘permission to move.' Everything else is the enemy. Anything that’s moving is the enemy. Anyone fleeing their positions is a deserter — and they’re the enemy too. Stick to this rule."

The voice note, sent to Kaliuzhna by multiple sources within the unit, is one example of the alleged use of "blocking forces," in which soldiers who retreat without orders are shot or systematically threatened with being shot

Ukraine's military scandals not limited to Skelia
The former commander of Ukraine's 154th Separate Mechanized Brigade, Stanislav Luchanov, who served in the 425th brigade, is under arrest in connection with the murder of two civilians who were allegedly in dispute with his wife, by two soldiers under his command.

The latter case triggered further controversy after military veteran Col. Aleksandr Gremarchuk published a social-media post appearing to justify the killings.

Gremarchuk accused “crooked politicians, schemers and draft dodgers” of fostering hostility toward the armed forces and said he would respond violently to anyone who insulted his family.

“If someone wants to know whether I would waste a civilian for my family: I say yes. A civilian, or a military man. I’d personally carve one up like a pig for Easter,” he wrote.

Ukraine's growing military-civilian divide
Relations between the armed forces and civilian society have already been strained by the military's frontline losses, rampant defense sector corruption and Kiev's deeply unpopular mobilization campaign.

Roaming conscription gangs frequently use brutal force to detain potential recruits in public places, a practice widely referred to in Ukraine and internationally as ‘busification.’

The conscription system is known to be widely corrupt, with critics claiming that wealthy or politically connected men can use bribes and influence to avoid service.

Widespread public anger at the brutal, corrupt and deeply unpopular system has triggered several large protests in recent months, most notably a major disturbance in Lviv, known as a Ukrainian nationalist heartland. The military cracked down on the riot and reportedly began a campaign of harassment against suspected participants.